Wildrose announces wait time guarantee for Albertans

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Albertans would see more private and out-of-province care options under a Wildrose government, said Leader Brian Jean, laying out the party's plan for guaranteed health care wait times on Monday.

But the Progressive Conservatives say the plan will lead to a two-tiered health care system that supports queue jumping.

Standing with supporters in front of the Grey Nuns Hospital, Jean said his party would introduce wait time guarantees for five procedures with lengthy waiting lists in Alberta -- hip replacement surgery, knee replacement surgery, cataract surgery, coronary artery bypass and radiation therapy -- as well as fund private or out-of-province care if the wait is exceeded.

"Equal access to a waiting list is not equal access to health care," said Jean, blasting the "broken, inefficient mess" in Alberta's health care system that he saw personally when his 24-year-old son died of an undisclosed illness last month.

Cancer patients waiting as long as five weeks for radiation therapy would be guaranteed treatment within 20 days under the Wildrose plan. Patients currently waiting 49 weeks for knee replacement surgery would see a guarantee of 30 weeks.

Albertans who exceed the guarantee can have the cost of the procedure covered by their Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, said Jean, so patients can seek treatment at private clinics in Alberta or seek health care treatment in other parts of Canada or the U.S. The coverage would max out at the Alberta cost of the procedure, said Jean, potentially leaving patients on the hook for more expensive out-of-province care. Jean said the model would work within Canada Health Act.

"Unlike the PCs, we believe no Albertans should have to sit languishing on waiting lists far longer than medically recommended, wondering -- their family wondering -- if they should exhaust their personal savings or take on debt to go to British Columbia or the United States to get the treatment they need," said Jean.

"We expect people to go to other provinces. We expect people to go, possibly, to the United States."

While the party budgeted $180 million for a wait time guarantee model during the 2012 election, Jean said Monday that the new plan "won't cost any more money" as the cost of the surgeries would be the same if patients decided to stay in Alberta.

The PCs blasted the Wildrose plan as opening the door to two-tired health care and queue jumping.

"Rather than investing in the Alberta system, Wildrose is willing to export public healthcare dollars to private providers outside Alberta -- but only for those who can afford to get there," said the PCs in a press release.

"Wait time priority should be based on medical need and not what's in your wallet."